Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.
Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.
The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.
Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.
Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.
$3,000
Princess /// Contemporary Street Pop Art Painting Grace Kelly Abstract Colorful
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Jack Graves III (American, 1988-) Title: "Princess" Series: Eclecticism *Signed by Graves lower left. It is also signed, titled, and dated on verso Year: 2024 Medium: Origi...
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
Airplane in landscape - landscape painting
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful painting by Jeroen Allart is part of his minimalist landscape and animal painting he did in his home country the Netherlands. 'A farm stands before you on the horizon....
Canvas, Oil
Making Our Way Back - Original Rural Landscape Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
By Jodi Miller
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jodi Miller captivates with her atmospheric landscapes, inspired by the vast skies of her prairie upbringing and her global travels in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Influenced by the...
Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite
"Highway 101", Surreal Redwood Highway Panting with Orcas and Car
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Highway 101" is an original artwork by Chris Austin and is made of gouache on wood. It measures 13"h x 17"w framed and is signed en verso by the artist. Chris Aus...
Wood, Gouache
Everyone Has Their Own Ocean
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled “Everyone Has Their Own Ocean” is a work about the inner space that...
Canvas, Acrylic
Beauty from Within 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Fabrics
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
AV NOVA by Ramon Enrich - Architecture and Landscape Painting
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
AV NOVA is a painting by Spanish contemporary artist Ramon Enrich. Acrylic on canvas: H 39.4 × L 51.2 in inches / H 100 × L 130 cm. The artwork is sold framed (brown floating frame)...
Canvas, Acrylic
The newborn light that is me - Atmospheric dreamy pink & green abstract painting
Located in Silverthorne, CO
A rapturous pink and green ode to water and light. When I paint, I use cloth rags taken from daily life. For this painting, I used one of the discarded head coverings I was forced to...
Oil
"Nesting", Botanical Watercolor of Opossums in a Nest with Strawberries
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Nesting" is an original artwork by Christina Mrozik and is made of watercolor on paper, and measures 17.5"h × 17.5"w framed. It is signed en verso by the artist. ...
Paper, Watercolor
The River to the Ocean Goes - ethereal abstract landscape
Located in Silverthorne, CO
An ethereal abstract landscape painting, a meandering river of life wandering through a green world under a purple sky. I look at the river and see the eternity of things. And my ow...
Canvas, Oil
3 CASES by Ramon Enrich - Architecture and Landscape Painting
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
3 CASES is a painting by Spanish contemporary artist Ramon Enrich. Acrylic on canvas: H 39.4 × L 51.2 in inches / H 100 × L 130 cm. The artwork is sold framed (brown floating frame)...
Canvas, Acrylic
diphtych "Where Peace Finds You"
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) – size of each picture Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled from the series “Trust: In Space” This dipty...
Canvas, Acrylic
Witnesses of the Unseen
Located in Zofingen, AG
Executed in a refined contemporary figurative style, this painting presents a compelling dialogue between observation, perception, and the unseen dimensions of experience. Combining ...
Lacquer, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$2,962
Between 2 Shores Modern French Abstract Landscape Painting, Contemporary Coastal
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Between Two Shores is an original oil on canvas by French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont. Inspired by the ever-changing landscapes of the Normandy coast, this work captures the f...
Oil
$545
Peculiar Bloom - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Mixed Media Painting on Raw Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
$545
Sun No.5 - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Figurative Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
TURNING INTO STONE 3 surreal original oil/canvas Paula Craioveanu large 30x38in
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Turning into Stone 3 " . Original, unique painting. oil on canvas, 30x38in. Shipped stretched ready for display in the US, and shipped rolled in a tube to Europe and to the rest of...
Canvas, Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Portrait of a Fair Young Man](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-portrait-of-a-fair-young-man-for-sale/a_9323/a_182091121781979428162/Beard_Mark_Bruce_Sargeant_1898_1938_Portrait_of_a_Fair_Young_Man_Framed_1200_master.jpg?width=240)
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Portrait of a Fair Young Man](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-portrait-of-a-fair-young-man-for-sale-picture-2/a_9323/a_182091121781979456623/Beard_Mark_Bruce_Sargeant_1898_1938_Portrait_of_a_Fair_Young_Man_1200_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Portrait of a Fair Young Man
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Signed in red, u.l. $3,000 + $125 framing
Oil
$545
Sun No.8 - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Figurative Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
Bouquet of Daisies
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 100×70 cm (overall size with stretching 108×78 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. A loosely gathered bouquet o...
Canvas, Acrylic
Where Time Stood Still
Located in Zofingen, AG
Where Time Stood Still (From the "Synchronicity of Souls" series) "Where Time Stood Still" is a visual manifesto of safety, unconditional trust, and the mental connection between hum...
Canvas, Acrylic
$522Sale Price|20% Off
Original Ink on papers set of 2, Sunset Song Series-New Abstract-British Artist
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Sunset Song Series stands as one of the most iconic works featured in her Solo Exhibition - Modern Ancient, GSY Studio Gallery, London, UK. 2025; this is one of the latest in the ser...
Paper, Ink
$2,091
Beneath the bougainvillea balcony Contemporary Architecture House Oil Painting
By Lilly Muth
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
$3,500Sale Price|30% Off
Lady with Books 2 original painting by Paula Craioveanu 39x23in FRAMED
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Lady with Books 2", 39x23in / 100x60cm. Original painting. Shipped as it is, stretched, ready for hanging, framed. Framed size 41.5x25.7in. Free shipping with 1stDibs code This p...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,082Sale Price|25% Off
The Sun Born Over and Over, Abstract Oil on Linen, Signed, 150x80 cm
Located in Silverthorne, CO
A soaring, dramatic, golden sunset flaming across the sky The golden light. The pink hues of hope. The planet we live on, all of us, spinning on its axis around our warm living sun ...
Linen, Oil
Earthy Abstract African Trees, Rusted Metal Composition "Farm Landscape Study 4"
Located in Cape Town, ZA
Nyasha Mashumba, having been the apprentice of Mark Hilltout, has now started to carve out a career for himself as artist and designer, utilizing the medium and craft he has mastered...
Metal, Steel, Iron
Home Is Where the Soul Finds Peace
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. A quiet space between feel...
Acrylic, Canvas
$1,850
Ephemeral Tides - 21st Century, Contemporary, Landscapes, Modern City, Oil
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Painting for me is an experience, where we learn every day and unlearn what we’ve learnt, and also as a portal to connect to the past, present & future. I was inspired to create thi...
Canvas, Oil
“Flamingo’s in a Lush Jungle Waterfall”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original acrylic paint on canvas painting of a lush jungle landscape with a waterfall and flamingo’s by the well known Haitian painter, Henri-Robert Bresil. Signed lower right by th...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,904
In My Heart, Contemporary Oil on Canvas Landscape Painting, Framed, 21st Century
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Sonja Brussen – In My Heart Oil on canvas 40 x 100 cm Framed in a white wooden frame Overall dimensions with frame: 42 x 102 cm Frame included in the price In My Heart is an orig...
Oil, Canvas
Hibiscus Pink Pocket Painting 229, original painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pink Hibiscus 229 (canvas size 5x5cm) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with...
Canvas, Oil
$1,100
Field Painting June 26 - Contemporary Landscape Painting White Flowers, 2025
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary landscape painting in oil on panel, a peaceful summer scene is set, beautifully capturing the idyllic feel of a field of wildflowers in late June. Signed, dated ...
Oil, Panel
TORRUB by Ramon Enrich - 59 In Wide Square Painting, Red Tones
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
TORRUB is a unique acrylic on canvas painting by contemporary artist Ramon Enrich, dimensions are 150 × 150 cm (59.1 × 59.1 in). Dimensions of the framed artwork are 154 cm x 154 cm ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Homekeepers Painting of Dogs Before Red House, 90x90 cm, New Condition
Located in Zofingen, AG
Home is not walls or shelter — it’s what quietly holds us when the world keeps moving. The dogs stand before the red house as if it were memory made visible. They are the keepers of ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,850
Unspoken Bond - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist The...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
In a May Garden
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
In a May Garden captures a quiet moment of connection hidden within the richness of nature. Surrounded by deep green foliage and blooming pink forms, two figures sit together at a sm...
Canvas, Acrylic
$8,132
Green Iron Jungles N8 by Calo Carratalá - Round Painting, Amazon Landscape
Located in Paris, FR
Green Iron Jungles N8 is a unique round acrylic on aluminum and gloss varnish painting by Spanish contemporary artist Calo Carratalá, diameter is 120 cm (47.2 in). The artwork is sig...
Iron
Bra Off, World Off
Located in Zofingen, AG
Bra Off, World Off is a celebration of one of life’s smallest and most satisfying rituals. That moment when the day is finally over, expectations loosen their grip, and there is nowh...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,300
Soft Skies - Original Abstract Oceanscape Painting on Canvas with Gold Leaf
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Charlotte Elizabeth has been working with paint professionally for over fifteen years. Elizabeth’s training in theatre design preceded a busy career as a Theatrical Scenic Artist in ...
Gold Leaf
Tender Presence I
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. This work is part of my “T...
Canvas, Acrylic
Building My Cozy Hut
Located in Zofingen, AG
Building My Cozy Hut explores memory as a space of inner refuge. The title refers to the childhood experience of creating a secret shelter - a place existing between reality and imag...
Canvas, Oil
Sun No.13 - Abstract Folk Art Inspired Figurative Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker creates vibrant original artworks that merge the enduring charm of folk art with a contemporary sensibility shaped by nature, memory, and visual storytelling. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Emotionally Unavailable but Moisturized
Located in Zofingen, AG
Emotionally Unavailable but Moisturized is a quiet little rebellion against the pressure to always be available, productive, emotionally articulate, healed, glowing, thriving… prefer...
Canvas, Acrylic
Breath Between Worlds
By Tim Owen
Located in Santa Fe, NM
acrylic, mixed media My paintings explore the themes of light, atmosphere, and the emotional impact of nature. The bold, expressive brushstrokes and saturated hues in my work aim to...
Canvas, Acrylic
Blue Silence
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
Blue Silence Series: Birds Blue Silence captures a solitary pelican drifting quietly through a deep blue landscape suspended between water and shadow. Emerging from broad, expressiv...
Canvas, Acrylic
Field Painting August 8 - Contemporary Landscape Painting Flowers Hills, 2025
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary landscape painting in oil on panel, a peaceful summer scene is set, beautifully capturing the idyllic feel of a field of wildflowers in early August Signed, date...
Oil, Panel
Magic tree
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work I will continue to weave archetypal images of ancient times. The work enters into a dialogue with the symbolism of long-standing visual memory, which appears in various...
Canvas, Acrylic
$890
Nine Skies, Geometric Interpretations Grid, Bauhaus Landscape Tiles, Color Field
Located in Barcelona, ES
“Nine Skies” by Natalia Roman is a contemporary geometric abstraction that evokes shifting atmospheres through a refined language of color and form. Organized in a rhythmic grid, eac...
Acrylic
Red ShineLuna Eclipse Pocket Painting 221, original painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Luna Eclipse 221(canvas size 5x5cm) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a...
Canvas, Oil
Mutual Trust
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. This work is part of the T...
Acrylic, Canvas
State of Mind 15 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Floral
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The artist's expressive strokes, rendered with bold acrylics, bring to life a figurative portrait that speaks volumes about resilience and aspiration. The interplay of colors and tex...
Canvas, Acrylic
$800Sale Price|20% Off
"Dior in Paris" Silver and Black French Haute Couture Painting on Archival Paper
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited composit...
Mixed Media, Oil, Archival Paper
$2,650
Still Night - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist May...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Drifting Between Light and Love - Contemporary Pool House Oil Painting
By Lilly Muth
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
$299Sale Price|23% Off
Original Drawing-Sunset Song-Drawing Time Series-British landscape-plein air-ink
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This original Ink/Charcoal/gouache drawing was created by Shizico at the transitional sunset light in early spring. Like a modern-day Monet, Shizico has built her own garden over the...
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Gouache, Ink
Ancestral Throne - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Fabrics
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Where hours float unseen - Contemporary Architecture House Oil Painting
By Lilly Muth
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
Yellow Slash Abstract Acrylic Painting, Framed, Contemporary
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary abstract acrylic painting was inspired by nature. Sandra Goldie’s artwork has been praised by one of Quebec’s leading abstract artists. Leopold Plotek described th...
Canvas, Acrylic
Mistress of the Autumn Garden
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, the artist creates the image of a woman as the keeper of the harvest, of space, and of the rhythms of nature. Her figure rises from the earth as naturally as the ap...
Canvas, Acrylic
The artist and activist is the subject of a new show at Washington, D.C.'s National Gallery of Art.
Manhattan's Acquavella Galleries is showing a group of the artist's monumental works that have never been seen together.
Koloman Moser smashed the conservative conventions of art and design in fin-de-siècle Vienna. On the 100th anniversary of his death, the Austrian designer is being celebrated for his radically modern creations.